gathering tape
 

Has anyone ever used or heard of Clover Fusible Gathering Tape? Looks interesting.

I had never heard of it, so Googled and found it on Amazon. It does look interesting!

never heard of it - let us know.

i like not having to purchase expensive notions that seem to me to have too specific a use.... get your cording foot on (some have one, three, five or seven guide holes in them). Put crochet cotton in one of the center holes ONLY.... put ball of cord between your feet in a basket or bag.... now set machine to stitch in a zig zag that is going over the cord, clearing about 1/16th of inch in each side of zig zag width.... medium to long stitch length.... the cording foot will keep you from sewing thru the cord and it will never break the way a sewing thread will.... when finished sewing, just pull the crochet cotton, seam to the next pc and done....

Just saw this for the first time last week at the LQS. Looked interesting but I will probably stick to the old fashioned way.

mltquilt

I do it this way, too...but, I take a glass jar...spagetti sauce, fruit, whatever you have. Put the jar between your knees and let the cording feed freely

You really don't need a cording foot .... just use the zig-zag and dental floss!
It has no thickness and the strength you need when you start pulling up your gathers.

When I saw "dental floss" on a class list, I went "what?" :shock:
They said, yes, you'll discover why in the class and wouldn't tell me anymore.
BEST thing I learned in THAT class!

Hey, QuilE thanks for the Good hint!! I've been sewing from the age of 7 but gathering is one of the most frusrating things!!LOL

CORRECTION .... USE DENTAL TAPE, NOT FLOSS!
(the dental tape is a bit wider, so more to work with and less likely to shred/break when you start gathering)


Me too, for the long time sewing and first time I'd heard of this ... I couldn't believe how slick it worked.

We just set the zig zag to a fairly wide width, medium stitch length and sewed away. Anchor the dental tape at the start by figure-8-ing it several times around a pin. Otherwise, you might pull it thru your zig zag as you sew!

Do the same at the end, unless you are gathering it immediately. Then gather, and figure-8, check your results ... unwind and gather more or let gathers out, til you have it where you want. Final figure-8 til you have it secured with whatever the next step is.

I use the zig-zag stitch over heavy cotton thread. Works like a charm. However, I bet the tape keeps the gather in shape better.